10.6.2000 News from Wigan

News Report Archive 10th June 2000

WIGAN COUPLE'S WORLDWIDE WEDDING

Samantha Harwood decided she wanted a quiet wedding in Las Vegas, but ended up with the world watching her take her vows.
When Wigan woman Samantha married sweetheart Andrew Rogers, live pictures of the ceremony were beamed live via the internet to their parents, relatives and friends in Ashton!
The couple believe they have now made history by being one of the first couples in Britain to have a 21st century internet wedding.
As 28 year-old Samantha was walked down the aisle at the Little Chapel of Flowers in Vegas by an Elvis look-alike, live pictures were being beamed around the world.
Parents Alan and Rita of Alder Avenue Ashton watched every detail of their daughter's marriage on a neighbour's computer and, despite the 6,000 mile gap they cracked open bottles of champagne and within minutes were talking to the newly-weds on the phone.
Samantha, who met Andrew in a Blackpool nightclub, had always dreamed of marrying in Las Vegas and chose the romantic Little Chapel of Flowers because it offered to beam the live ceremony to the internet for free.
Rita said, "I admit we shed a few tears as we watched the wedding. We felt we were there throughout the half hour ceremony."
Alan said, "Although we were thousands of miles away, we felt we were guests at the wedding. We even got dressed up. There was a marvellous atmosphere when the pictures flashed onto the computer screen."
Samantha, an export co-ordinator and 33 year-old Andrew, a lab technician, had planned their marriage in America months ago and were thrilled when they saw one chapel advertising the internet facility.
The former Cansfield High School pupil, who now lives in Hereford said, "We knew this was a way of having all our relatives and friends with us during this very special day. We wanted something different so I went down the aisle on the arm of an Elvis look-alike. It was a totally memorable day."

FORMER LATICS STAR WEDS

Former Latics star Peter Atherton enjoyed a match of the day when he tied the knot with his fiance in Standish.
The 30 year-old defender, who now plays for Sheffield Wednesday, put his relegation grief behind him when he married Michelle Stead in front of a packed St Wilfrid's Church.
The couple, who met while Peter was still playing for Wigan Athletic in 1989, live at their family home in Standish with daughters Elle, 5, and 4 year-old Amie.

SHEVINGTON VALE JOINS SUPERHIGHWAY

Computer buff Roy Pearson is taking the tiny hamlets of Shevington Vale and Appley Bridge to the world.
Family man Roy who lives on Newgate Avenue, has always believed the villages are the most beautiful in the Wigan area....and he wants everyone on earth to know about their charms.
Roy, who works in computers, admitted he was "fed up" with large cities and small towns blowing their own trumpets on the internet. And search though he did, he couldn't find any reference to the tranquil delights of Shevington Vale and Appley Bridge. They weren't even marked on the map.
So he decided to set up a website describing their beauty..and now former esidents from all over the world are tapping into the site. Roy said "My view is that if you have something to tell the world about, the internet is the place to do it.
"My site tells how this area has grown over the years but has retained it's rural charm. I'm still putting photographs of the areas on the site and I'd like to hear from anyone who has some scenic views."
Roy doesn't expect the vilages to become an international Mecca thanks to his site but he is convinced that residents and former locals will find something to keep them informed of the week to week progress of the places.
He added, "I was pleased when I recieved a reply from a former local who had found the site when he was surfing the net. Now he's telling other people of how they can keep in touch with home even though they live at the other side of the world."
Click here to visit Ray's site

CHURCH RULES MEAN ROCKERY MUST BE REMOVED

A grieving widow has been ordered by a church to remove a border and a rockery from her husband's grave.
74 year-old Mary Liptrot buried her husband Jack just seven weeks ago at St John's Churchyard in Pemberton and is distraught at the prospect of having to get rid of the decorative stones. But the church insists that the decorations do not comply with the church's law and prevent the warden from mowing the grass on the grave.
Mary, whose 75 year-old husband attended St John's Primary school and was a member of the parish, said "We miss Jack so much, we just want to make his resting place look nice. These last few weeks have been difficult enough for the family without having to put up with all this. The church doesn't have to mow the grass on Jack's grave, we will look after it ourselves."
The Liptrot family were outraged that they were not informed of the cemetery's rules before they spent time and money transforming the grave.
Mary said, "We didn't know we weren't allowed to make the grave look nice, at the very least there should be signs up. Jack's grave looks lovely now and I can't believe that they want us to strip it bare. We've worked a long time on it and we are not going to move anything."
Since the family decorated the grave three weeks ago, they have been told on three seperate occasions that they must remove the items from the grave. Daughters Linda Liptrot, 38 and Sindy, 33 claim that the last time they were approached about the matter it was by the church warden as they were grieving at their father's graveside.
Church warden Brian Baddely said, "I think the grave looks lovely and I do sympathise, but unfortunately it just isn't allowed."
The church law was enforced at St John's in the 1970s to make maintaining the grounds easier. According to church law, the family owns the burial rights to the land but not the actual land and must abide by the rules.
The current vicar, Rector Colin Oxenforth has only recently joined the parish which was without a permanent vicar at the time of Jack's funeral.
The family are refusing to remove the stones and Vicar Oxenforth plans to report the matter to Liverpool Diocese for them to deal with the matter.

PLANS FOR LUXURY HOTEL AT FORMER HOSPICE SITE

Plans have been unveiled to turn Wigan's former hospice into the borough's most luxurious hotel and restaurant.
The Worsley Mesnes/Poolstock area has seen nothing like it before. Residents would be charged Ł150 a night to stay in an elite hotel, that includes swish Edwardian decor, jacuzzis in every room and a gym, while meals there would cost at least Ł50 a head.
The Old Vicarage, as it would be called, is the Ł1.3m brainchild of local businessmen David Taylor and John Jones with their company Green Velvet UK.
They are said to have agreed an undisclosed purchasing price from the Blackburn-based Calderstone's Trust which failed two years ago to convert the old hospice into a semi-secure unit for the mentally ill. Residents furiously objected to the plans and eventually Wigan and Bolton Health Authority also withdrew it's vital support.
The new deal depends on Green Velvet's securing planning permission and a drinks licence- along with general public approval. Mindful of the hostile reaction to the Calderstone's plan, Messrs Taylor and Jones say they want to spell out exactly what will be on the site and address public concerns. They say it will be be a quiet and private venue with no late night noise and discos, but if residents give it a thumbs-down they will look somewhere else.
The modest size of the building will impose it's own restrictions, the restaurant catering for no more than 50 diners and there are only 12 guest rooms planned, although each would undergo an Ł18,000 make-over. There will also be a meeting and board room plus office facilities tailor made for business travellers.